A Dash of Darcy Companions Duo 2 Read online

  She nodded. “Yes, both Mr. Collins and Mr. Pratt declare it to be excellent, and neither gentleman is given to prevarications.”

  “Mr. Pratt?” Conrad mustered a great show of surprise to hear the name on her lips. “You could not possibly mean Alistair Pratt, could you?”

  The lady’s face lit with delight, and a pang of jealousy pierced Conrad’s heart. He had never had a lady look so overjoyed simply to hear his name. Miss de Bourgh must actually love Pratt. While a small twinge of regret in having to break her heart passed quickly through his mind, a much greater thrill at the complete devastation he would inflict on Pratt overshadowed any momentary falter.

  “Do you know him?” Anne asked.

  “I do. We are friends.” They were acquaintances, and acquaintances were a type of friend, were they not? Therefore, it was not a complete lie — not that Conrad felt any pang of conscience about lying, but should he need to defend his words later, it was good to make certain there was a small amount of room to twist one’s self out of trouble.

  “How delightful!” Anne cried. “And now we shall be friends. Alistair will be so surprised when he learns of it!”

  Alistair? So, Miss de Bourgh and Pratt were so close then. “Indeed, he will be.”

  “He is not at home just now, however.”

  Miss de Bourgh’s countenance fell. Yes, to separate two such lovers would repay Pratt for separating him from the fortune he had almost secured.

  “Quite right. I had heard he was obliged to attend a house party.”

  Miss de Bourgh nodded slowly. “His mother insisted.”

  “Yes, that is what he said. I would love to continue our acquaintance, but I do find I am rather parched from my ride.” And he had no great desire to discuss Alistair Pratt at the moment.

  “And my mother will be expecting me home soon,” Anne added.

  “Might we meet tomorrow?” He did need to learn more about her if he was to devise an effective plan.

  “Here?” Anne asked in surprise.

  “I do not know where else,” Conrad said with an apologetic shrug. “I am a mere traveller. Is there somewhere better? My only thought in choosing this location above some other is that this is a very public location which will lend it propriety.”

  Anne bit her lip and glanced back over her shoulder. “There is a small green just behind us. It is a lovely place for a respite. But if you are travelling, will you not be gone tomorrow?”

  He shook his head. “I am in the area to see about a filly and will not return to London until the day after tomorrow.”

  “That is excellent! Then I shall be at the green at two o’clock tomorrow, just before I make my call at the parsonage as is my usual wont.”

  Conrad tipped his hat. “Until tomorrow Miss de Bourgh.”

  ~*~*~

  At a quarter to two the following day, Conrad found a bench under a sprawling ash tree and made himself comfortable to wait. However, his wait was shorter than expected, for Miss de Bourgh arrived a full ten minutes early. He shook his head. Of course, she was the sort to be early. Pratt would not approve of one who was tardy.

  “Miss de Bourgh,” he greeted as he approached to assist her from her carriage.

  She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand.

  “You do not distrust me, do you?” It would be a pity if she did.

  “No, but meeting in a green without a chaperone is not exactly proper.”

  He helped her down from her perch. Though the layers of clothing she wore did not conceal the fact that she was a slip of a woman, she was still far lighter than any lady he had ever assisted before. In fact, if a strong wind were to come up suddenly, he was not altogether certain that she would not fly away on it.

  “We are in a very open place. There is nothing to conceal us, and I am not the sort to seduce young ladies.” In open fields, he added to himself with a silent chuckle. In more secluded areas, seduction was almost certainly guaranteed. But, Miss de Bourgh must not know that now, for at present he needed her to trust him completely.

  Anne straightened her skirts and made certain her bonnet was securely attached to her head before she took a seat on the bench where Alistair’s friend had been sitting. “Have you known Alistair for long?” she asked.

  “For many years. We are members at the same club in town and circulate among the same set for the most parts.” He lowered his voice the tiniest amount. “My father holds no title, so I do not know the members of the House of Lords in the same way that Pratt does.” The eyes of the lady next to him lit with admiration once again.

  “He will be excellent when he must finally take his place in parliament, do you not think? He is always keeping abreast of what is taking place in the world, and his knowledge of most things is extensive.”

  There was no small amount of pride in Miss de Bourgh’s voice, and that fact made Conrad bristle as did the need to agree with her that Pratt was wonderful. But, pain him as it did, the smile she turned on him at his agreement let him know that he had managed to convince her that he too admired Pratt.

  “You seem to admire my friend,” he added to the end of his agreement. Her head lowered, but not before he saw a telling pink touch her cheeks and a secret smile creep to her lips. “I shall not tell him if you do,” he whispered.

  “Oh, he knows, but…”

  She fell silent, rousing his curiosity. “But what?” he prompted.

  She lifted her head and shook it slowly. “I cannot say.”

  “Very well,” he said, leaning back and affecting a disinterested pose. “I hear he is expected to marry soon.” Her head swung towards him. Were her eyes wide with interest, surprise, or trepidation? He could not quite tell. “That is why he has gone to this house party, is it not? His mother is hoping to see him settled soon.”

  Interesting. Her expression had relaxed. He must have hit on something with his mention of marrying soon.

  “Just because a mother might wish something, does not mean it will occur, Mr. Conrad. My mother has been insistent since I was in leading strings that I will marry my cousin, but I assure you that I shall not.”

  “Indeed?” His brows rose. So the lady was refusing to marry Darcy and doing so in a very determined tone.

  “Quite so,” she said forcefully. “I shall marry whom I please.”

  Again, his brows rose. It appeared that inside the frail, pretty shell of Miss de Bourgh burned a fiery will. He would have to tread carefully.

  “House parties are notorious for bringing about matches, even when a match is not desired,” he said, reaching overhead to a low hanging branch and plucking a leaf. “Why, just last year, two friends, who intended to remain bachelors until they were at least thirty, married just three weeks after attending a house party. One of them had hoped to marry a lady he had left back home, but there was another lady at the party with a different plan.” He twirled the stem of the leaf between his fingers as he peeked at her to see if his words were working as they ought. To his delight, she looked very uneasy. “An arranged meeting in a location not quite as innocent as where we are sitting, accompanied by a stumble requiring a gentleman to catch a lady can look rather improper if seen by the right people at the right time.” He shook his head. “It is a pity that some ladies are so scheming, but there you have it.”

  He sat forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “I am certain nothing like that would happen to Pratt. He is far too level-headed to fall into a scheme, do you not think?”

  Anne’s head bobbed up and down uncertainly.

  “Now, you must tell me something about you,” Conrad said brightly. “I know that your mother’s parson is Mr. Collins and that you are friends with Pratt, but I know very little about you beyond that.”

  “I do not know that there is much to tell. I am the daughter of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and my home is Rosings Park. That is all there is to know about me.”

  “Oh, Miss de Bourgh, certainly you are wrong! You must have a favorite boo
k or song, and there must be some activity that you enjoy above all else.”

  Anne shrugged. “I do enjoy driving, and embroidery is tolerable. However, I cannot choose a book or song because there are so many that I enjoy.”

  He watched her pull her lip between her teeth.

  “I helped Cook bake a cake once. That was delightful. Oh! And I do enjoy playing chess and dancing, although I have never been to a ball.”

  “What? Never been to a ball?”

  Anne shook her head. “No. My mother says my health will not allow it.”

  “Indeed?”

  One of Anne’s shoulders lifted and fell. “I do not think it would be too strenuous, but there is no convincing my mother.”

  “A real old dragon is she?” Conrad asked, causing Anne to laugh. It was a sweet musical sort of laugh, the kind that many in the ton tried to affect as it was the sort to capture a gentleman’s attention and make him wish to hear it again.

  “I believe a dragon would fear my mother, Mr. Conrad. She is quite simply impossible!”

  “Then you must be stronger than a dragon.” He smiled as he watched her lashes flutter and her brows draw together as she attempted to figure out why he should say such a thing. “You have said you are not going to marry your cousin despite what your mother wishes. If this is true, you must be far more fierce than any dragon that would cower before your mother. Indeed, I do not see how it could happen if you were not.”

  Her eyes sparkled, and she laughed that sweet laugh once again. “It is not so difficult, Mr. Conrad. I shall just marry before she can stop me.”

  Chapter 5

  Anne could not help but feel delighted at the startled expression Mr. Conrad wore at her words. It was perhaps not the wisest thing in the world to share such information on such short acquaintance, but since this man was Alistair’s friend, there could be very little risk in trusting him with such information. Besides, she wished to go to Warwickshire, and Mr. Conrad might be just the person to help her get there. She glanced up at the clouds.

  “My mother insists that I invite you to dinner if you are still to be in the area this evening.” She turned wide questioning eyes to him. “You did say you were to be here until tomorrow, did you not?” His mouth was still hanging open just a bit, and his eyes were still rather large. Anne pursed her lips to keep from smiling in enjoyment of his expression. Surprising people really was entertaining. If only there were people around her on a regular basis that would allow such fun! Her mother would only scold, and Anne was not certain Miss Jenkinson knew how to laugh properly. Her companion’s laugh was always creaky, like an old gate that was rarely used. Not at all pleasant.

  “To Rosings, for supper?” Mr. Conrad stammered.

  “You are not afraid of dragons, are you?” Anne asked with a laugh.

  The gentleman next to her sat straighter at the challenge and assured her he was not. She had seen her maid Maggie use flattery and little challenges to get the footmen to do all sorts of things for her. Apparently, the same technique worked on gentlemen as well as footmen.

  “I had to tell my mother of our meeting yesterday, you see. There are those in this village who love nothing better than to share tales in a most elaborate fashion. For the same reason, I also told her I was to meet you here on my way to the parsonage, and since she knew that you were a friend of Mr. Pratt, she insisted that I invite you to dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Collins will also be attending, so you have no reason to fear being lonely. It will be an entertaining little group. If Lady Metcalfe were not already gone to town, I am certain she would have joined us. But as it is, she is gone to enjoy the theater and such. Her husband is in the House of Lords, you know.”

  “Yes, yes, I did know that Lord Metcalfe was in Parliament.” He shifted a bit uneasily on the bench.

  “Alistair will be there one day, too,” Anne added proudly. “You will come to dinner, will you not? You do not have other plans, do you?”

  “I – I do not, so,” he paused and his brow furrowed as if thinking, “yes, I would be honoured to come to dinner.”

  “Do you play chess?” Anne asked, excitedly.

  “I do.”

  “Good. then we shall play, and if we are so fortunate, we might have a discussion about how you might help me with a niggling little problem.”

  Mr. Conrad blinked. “We have only met. How do you know that I might be able to help you with anything?” His voice was filled with incredulity as she had hoped it would be.

  “You are Alistair’s friend, are you not?”

  He nodded.

  “And you do know the counties of England, do you not?”

  Again, he nodded.

  She stood. “Then you will be perfect.” She paused, furrowed her brows, and pursed her lips as if uncertain about something. “Unless, of course, it is not something you are brave enough to do.”

  His brows flew halfway to his hairline. “Is it dangerous?”

  A small smile played on her lips. “Not if we do it correctly. Now, if you would be so kind as to help me back into my curricle, I must be on my way to the parsonage. I do not wish to be late. Mrs. Collins will be waiting.”

  He was all that was gentlemanly as he helped her to climb up onto her perch. Once seated, she instructed him on how to get to Rosings and at what time he should call as she arranged the reins in her hand.

  “Oh, there is one thing of which you must be aware. I will have to be on my best, most proper and reserved behavior this evening. My mother will insist on it.” She smiled at the way his brow furrowed. “I did not wish for you to be startled if I am much different from the way I have been in our two meetings. I would not want to cause you any discomfort. You will also perform the part of gentleman admirably, will you not? Oh, listen to me. Of course, you will. You have been nothing but proper since we met. I just worry because of my mother, you see. She is very particular.”

  Conrad nodded. “That is understandable. It is her home, and I am a guest.”

  Anne was about to call to her horses to walk on, but just for fun, she thought she would make his eyes grow wide once more before she was away. “No, Mr. Conrad, you do not understand. She is particular about everyone, no matter where she is. If my mother were to visit the Prince Regent, she would likely insist that he sit where she said and do as she instructed.”

  There. That was the expression for which she had hoped. Now, she might be able to think on it and wear a pleasant expression while she listened to Mr. Collins tell her how wonderful it was that her mother deigned to invite him and his wife to dinner. It was amazing how that man found each and every occurrence of being invited to dinner at Rosings, though it happened once a week, to be worthy of such praise. She waved cheerily to Mr. Conrad as she reached the turn that would take her to the parsonage.

  Tonight, if his answers to her mother’s inquisition about his relationship with Mr. Pratt, as well as about his family and fortune and future plans, were appropriate, Mr. Conrad would become her escort to a house party in Warwickshire.

  ~*~*~

  “What is your father, Mr. Conrad?” Lady Catherine asked as they sat down to dinner later that evening.

  “He has an estate in Somerset,” Conrad replied. Miss de Bourgh had not been wrong in warning him about her mother. The lady had a very demanding personality. She had insisted on rearranging the places where people were seated twice before she was satisfied that all were exactly where they should be for the best conversation. He also noted how her daughter was seated in the position farthest from her mother but closest to Mrs. Jenkinson, Miss de Bourgh’s stern-looking companion. That woman was keeping an even closer eye on Conrad than Lady Catherine. It was most disturbing to be under such close and constant observation.

  “Is it large?” Lady Catherine held up a hand forestalling his answer as she instructed a footman to see to it that the fire was lit properly in the green drawing room and not the blue as previously planned. “The air is rather damp and cool tonight, is it not?” She re
sted her spoon on her charger and nodded to another footman that she was finished with this course.

  “Indeed, it is,” Mr. Collins, who sat across from Conrad, unsurprisingly agreed with Lady Catherine.

  Conrad had no doubt as to the reason Lady Catherine liked having her parson so close. The man agreed with her every word and praised her for the smallest suggestion, even if it was said in disparagement of something Mr. Collins himself had said or done. Ah, and now he was going to elaborate his agreement. Mr. Collins also had a fondness for hearing his own voice reverberate around the room. Conrad took a drink of his wine and waited for the conversation to come back to Lady Catherine’s point. She did not seem the sort to be distracted from discovering the information she sought.

  “I told Mrs. Collins,” Mr. Collins said as he dabbed at his mouth, “that her warm pelisse would be just the thing tonight. The afternoon was warm, I told her, but the clouds were hanging low, which is a sure sign that the evening would be less than agreeable.”

  “Quite right,” Lady Catherine agreed. “It was very good of you to think of your wife’s health. There is nothing like damp to settle in the lungs and cause all sorts of discomforts.”

  “You are correct as always, my lady.”

  Conrad fought to keep his eyes from rolling at the clergyman’s continued flattery. The man was all puffery.

  “The green sitting room is so very cozy. There shall be no fear of anyone taking a chill in there,” Mr. Collins added to his agreement. “A very wise choice, my lady. A very wise choice.”

  Lady Catherine gave him a nod and turned back to Conrad. “Tell me of your father’s estate. Is it large?”

  “It is not trifling, my lady.”

  “And his income?”

  “Substantial. Five to six a year.”

  “And it is to be yours?”

  “Yes.” He had been questioned by many matrons of the ton regarding his future value, but he had to admit that none had been quite so direct in her questioning as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

  “Do you have any sisters or brothers?” she asked as a plate of pheasant and roast vegetables was placed before him.